Starting Over
by Midnight Mischief
Summary: When a skiing accident causes Yoshi to have amnesia, Silver strives to help him regain his memories in the possibility of saving their friendship. However, things take a different turn as the dinosaur begins to have something a little more than friendship on his mind. Warning: Yaoi.
1. Amnesia

**This takes place in Mario and Sonic at the Sochi Olympics. I know, quite odd writing about winter during the spring. Though I've been at this for a while, pondering on what to make for a Yoshi and Silver fanfic. Then I came up with this. I know there aren't many fanfics about Yoshi and Silver... So, here it is.**

**Constructive criticism is welcomed.**

* * *

Slowly his eyes opened. His vision was heavily blurred, for he couldn't make out where he was. He closed his eyes, releasing a moan as he rubbed them. While his vision began to readjust he felt something warm over his head. It felt soft and wet in his hand. Curious, he gave it a squeeze. Water from the fabric began to run down his arm, in which felt strange to him.

When his vision had finally cleared, he sat up and spotted a man at the other end of the room. From what he could make out, the man wore a lot of green. His eyes were closed as his face was aimed towards the ceiling, with harsh grunting noises escaping from his widely opened mouth. Wandering eyes traveled further up to greet a flat screen with bright moving pictures. It was inaudible, but it was still able to hold his interest.

Suddenly he heard a soft _click_, and removed his attention from the screen to an opening door. Another man entered the room. He was identical to the other one asleep in the chair, but short and plump. His shirt was red, so was his hat which had a large M in the center. The man seemed to notice him first as he entered, beaming broadly as his cerulean eyes perked up.

"You're finally awake!" he chirped, and ran towards his lookalike at the other side. "Luigi, look! Yoshi's awake!"

The man – who appears to be called Luigi – was shook awake by the smaller man. He seemed to be in a daze as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. "H-huh?"

"Yoshi, he's awake now." The smaller man walked over where he was and sat beside him. He gave the man a puzzling look, and began to scoot away from him.

Nonetheless the man still smiled at him. "How are you feeling, Yosh?" he asked, one of his hands resting on his leg.

He scowled and moved further away. "Who are you guys?" he asked. He became even more confused when the smiles of both men waned quickly.

* * *

For the third time he tried again. He didn't plan on going back this time, if he received another _"The doctors are still working on him."_, without the nurse even checking to make sure. That was not going to be enough.

This time, however, she immediately began typing on the computer. Silver was relieved that he wasn't given the same response, and waited patiently for different results.

Finally she pulled up the page. Her eyes scanned the monitor, smiling and nodding as she continued scrolling downward. "They already gave him a room. Everything seems fine so far…" His beam lasted as long as hers, which disappeared along with the sentence. "Oh…"

Once again the hedgehog became anxious. He slowly tilted his head to see around the back of the screen. "Is he okay?" The nurse caught him trying to look, and turned the monitor further from his gaze.

"Sorry." she said. "It's still pending."

Silver stared at her, slowly cocking a brow. "…Pending?"

"Yes. Final examinations are taking place." His expression changed into a full out scowl, before she returned her attention to the computer. "Sorry sir…" He opened his mouth to oppose, but stopped when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Princess Peach, smiling sadly, began to coax him away from the desk. He complied reluctantly, before directing another glare at the nurse.

He folded his arms and legs, and began tapping his finger in an irritated manner. His arms unfolded when the Princess took a seat beside him and sighed, he turned his head in the other direction.

A soft, reassuring touch to his hand made him turn to greet gentle blue eyes. "I understand how you feel, Silver. But I'm positive that everything is okay." The hedgehog breathed a heavy sigh before turning away again. She released her own, but smiled nonetheless.

"He's in good hands, I just know it."

Silver frowned and looked up at the clock, possibly for the umpteenth time. "I don't know, Princess." he said finally. "The nurse at the counter wasn't so convincing…"

"Perhaps it was merely an error?"

"No, it was an odd response. I really don't like it." He met with her gaze. "I can't help but feel that something could be…" his sentence trailed off when he spotted Luigi coming from the hallway, walking at a rather quick pace.

The expression he wore looked extremely urgent. However, the hedgehog tried to shake it off, thinking–no, _hoping_–that it was only his anxiety playing mind tricks on him.

He unfolded his legs and straightened his posture as the plumber made haste to approach the both of them. "Luigi?"

Peach turned around to find the wheezing plumber in front of her. "Are you okay? How is everything? Where's Mario?" He didn't answer any of the questions thrown at him, but took another moment to catch his breath.

When he was finally done, Luigi stood upward, his expression still grave. "Come on, I'll show you." Peach and Silver each exchanged a concerned glance, before following him through the hallway.

* * *

The short man, who calls himself Mario, stayed in the room with him. At the foot of his bed was where he sat and asked him various questions, none that he was able to answer. He looked sad and worried at the same time, something he couldn't at all understand.

It was starting to make him uneasy.

Mario had muttered something before standing up and began pacing. Something seemed wrong, but he couldn't figure out what. His head throbbed something terrible, which made it even harder to think. Could something be wrong with himself? There must be a reason as to why he is where he currently is, and why he felt so unwell.

And it was quite obvious that Mario knew something.

His thoughts where interrupted when the door had opened again. Luigi had returned, this time with two other people. A woman in pink had walked past him to make her way to the bed. She smiled at him as the other person, a very strange-looking creature, came running over to the bed, beaming as he–or she–sat beside him.

At the other side of the room he noticed Mario beginning to frown again. He came over and stood at the foot of the bed with hands folded behind him, watching them silently.

The woman finally sat on the bed. "We're glad to see you're okay, Yoshi." she said softly.

The silvery creature beside him put its arm around him, before asking gently, "How are you feeling?"

He smiled, in spite of being even more confused. It seemed that more people knew him, though he still haven't a clue as to who any of them were. Apparently he was something to them, which was something he still couldn't figure out.

"Thanks. My head still hurts like crazy, though…" He looked up at Mario, allowing his confusion to take over his expression. "Who are these people?" It hadn't mattered that he whispered, for the question had both newcomers looking slightly hurt.

They were also looking at Mario, who only sighed. Luigi joined the group at the bed, looking sadly at the pair.

"What happened?" the woman gasped. For a long time Mario said nothing. Instead, he sat next to him, across from the other two strangers.

"Tell me, do you know who you are?"

He shook his head. "Not really… but you guys keep calling me Yoshi. Could that be what you mean?"

Mario sighed again, closing his eyes and looking down. After a moment longer he picked his head up and faced the rest of the party. "Amnesia."

He was still confused. "Who?"

"It's a condition where you're unable to remember anything, usually caused by a certain event." He switched his gaze over to some sort of equipment beside his bed. "In your case, it was due to injury. You were found unconscious at the bottom of a hill. It's possible that you crashed… and somehow hit your head in the process."

Upon hearing the explanation, Yoshi turned to look at the equipment. A pair of long and thin boards leaned against the wall. Both looked identical to the other, a brilliant green accompanied with orange and black. At the tip of each board was a small white circle, and an oval with green spots within the center. The other end had the same logo, except the spots were black. Beside the boards were two poles, both with the exact same colors.

Were they his?

For a moment he looked at the silvery creature and caught his gaze on him. Golden eyes that hinted sadness turned the opposite direction without hesitation. He looked up at Mario who was engaged in a quiet conversation with Luigi, the woman seemed to be somewhat involved also.

"I have a question…" All eyes were focused on him again. "Are you… my doctor?"

For a long time it was silent, with everyone's full attention remaining on him. Yoshi shifted uncomfortably, embarrassment taking over his expression. "You seem to know a lot about what happened to me. So I just thought…"

All eyes fell on Mario, who sighed. "No, Yoshi. I'm _a_ doctor, but I'm also a friend of _yours_." He hadn't at all come off frustrated with him. More so disappointed.

"Well, you're really smart." The man smiled, though it was a soft smile. He has been so kind to him, and he truly does know a lot. It was very easy to trust him…

But since Mario was able to relieve some of his tension – to some extent – it was certainly plausible.

Yoshi returned his gaze to the unknown guest. "I still don't know who they are…"

The woman smiled, though it seemed forced. "I'm Princess Peach, another one of your friends." she looked over to the creature. "Just like Silver."

"Oh. Well, you're both very pretty."

For a long time another uncomfortable silence took place, awkward glances exchanged with another. He made another mistake, he thought. Nothing seemed wrong with his sentence. It was true, wasn't it?

A moment longer he found the courage to speak up. "What?"

This time the strange-looking creature responded. Its gaze remained on the ground, its demeanor implying its discomfort. "I… I'm a guy…"

Yoshi stared at him, unable to do anything else as he blinked in disbelief. "O-oh…" He turned meet with Mario's concerned gaze. "You can take me home now…"

* * *

The walk back to the hotel seemed to have been a long one. Mario stayed at Yoshi's side, along with Luigi and Peach, who were all included in a long conversation. Silver tried to keep his pace with the group's, so that they were all walking side-by-side. Despite his efforts, however, he still felt excluded. Each time he tried to get a word in he wasn't able to – it was mostly Mario who would beat him to it. The hedgehog was only allowed to listen.

Yoshi, being near the center of the group, mostly listened, and occasionally laughed along with the others. Luigi, at the other end, hadn't nearly spoke as much as his brother. But at least he was able to get a few sentences in… He was nonexistent to even the princess, who was between him and Mario, who giggled when the plumber threw his hands in the air, possibly for the third time.

Silver was glad when they finally they reached the hotel. Yoshi regained his puzzled expression as the rest of group suddenly fell silent. He took in his new surroundings, looking up at the tall exquisite building. The group stayed to the sidewalk as they approached the hotel – it had the appearance of a palace. It even had its own property – which was a nice area – that wasn't cluttered between other buildings.

They made it to the revolving glass doors. Mario allowed everyone to enter before him, and Luigi had to be careful with handling Yoshi's ski equipment.

As if the exterior alone wasn't pleasing enough to the eye, they were greeted by the extravagance of the interior. The golden lobby, adored with regal chandeliers and furniture, satisfied the expectations promised by the exterior. The royal red carpeting beneath them looked as if no one had ever dragged in mud or snow. Crimson curtains graced each window in the room, a small section to the right of the room had chairs and sofas near a fireplace. Further towards the back of the room lied a grand staircase, with a velvet rug trailing up the steps.

Peach giggled when Yoshi gawked in awe. "There's much more than what you see here."

He turned to face the princess, wide-eyed. "And I live _here_?" Laughter was once again shared by the group.

"Well, we _are_ staying here for the time being." the princess stated.

"What for?"

"The Olympics, of course."

When Yoshi began to look puzzled once again, Mario frowned. "Oh, right… I wonder what there is to be done about that…" he sighed. "Why don't you retire to your suite for now? It'll be time for dinner soon."

Silver watched as Yoshi spun counterclockwise, gazing upward at the ceiling with his arms stretched outward. It was a strange sight, but nonetheless adorable, and it made him chuckle. When the reptile finally stopped he dizzily stumbled forward and into the small round table, with the large vase of roses sliding out of its original place. The hedgehog covered his mouth in an attempt to hide his snicker.

A small smile triggered on the red plumber as he watched. Even with his amnesia, the dinosaur was just as silly as ever.

He dug into one of his pockets and pulled out a golden keycard, labeled "VIP". "Here, Yoshi. You use this to get into your room. I only had it to keep it safe for you. Make sure you don't lose it." He handed Yoshi the card, who immediately took it and studied it intently. "Just follow Silver, you both share the same room."

"Dinner is in three hours, you two, so don't spoil your appetite." Luigi handed Silver the reptile's ski equipment to carry.

"My room is just a few down from yours whenever you need me. Silver will show you where it is, I trust. I have to run, unfortunately, but I will see you very soon." Large gloved hands took a pair of bare green hands and gave them a light squeeze. "Okay?" Yoshi nodded.

"See you all at dinner!" Peach sang merrily, before skipping off at a different direction. Both plumbers also took their leave, leaving the hedgehog and dinosaur with each other.


	2. Wasabi

_The freezing climate must not have been enough of an obstacle… without the combination of heavy snow and fog._

_He peered down the slope from the hilltop, and was unable to see anything beyond the mist. "Are you sure about this?"_

_Beside him was his companion. Green, spirited, and confident, he beamed with uncontainable excitement. "I'm sure we'll be fine." He hummed and rock on his heels, holding his skis and poles in separate hands. "Ready to race?"_

_Again his gaze followed the path downhill, only to meet with the thick fog. "I don't think so, Yoshi…"_

"_Why not?" the reptile huffed. "It's really not that dangerous… Besides, we didn't climb all the way up here for nothing. Don't you even want to practice?"_

"_You're positive that it's safe?"_

_Glaring slightly, Yoshi sized him up. "Are you really that worried about the weather? Or is that just a façade?"_

_He only received a baffled expression._

"_You heard me. You're just putting on a front… because you're too afraid you'll lose."_

"_What? _No_! I -"He froze when his sentence was halted by a sudden burst of laughter._

_Yoshi placed down his skis, chuckling as he put them on. "Just messing with you, Silver." The hedgehog blinked as he watched the Yoshi walked past him to approach the slope. He got into a readying position, looking down the road ahead._

_He looked back to meet a concerned expression, and flashed a mildly cocky grin. "See you at the bottom." Using his poles, Yoshi pushed himself forward before crouching and sliding down the hill. Silver watched the reptile slide downward and into the thick fog._

_He was gone._

_A moment had passed before the hedgehog finally equipped his gear with a sigh. He walked over to the incline and got into a starting position, releasing another sigh. Using his poles he pushed forward, crouching as he slid down the slope._

…

Silver was finally pulled from his daydream by the constant clicking sounds coming from nearby.

Yoshi was continuously pressing every numbered button on the elevator. Pulling him away from the selection of buttons the hedgehog pressed the correct number for their floor. As the elevator began closing Yoshi, now standing to the hedgehog's left, curiously stuck his hand between the doors, which reopened with a soft ring. Smirking in amusement the dinosaur did so again, causing the same reaction from the elevator. He laughed, as did Silver, who once again pulled him from the front completely.

When they got to their floor, Yoshi cautiously stepped into the golden and crimson halls with a baffled expression. He rocked on the plush carpet beneath him as he gazed at the ceiling, staring at the soft lighting of the chandeliers.

"What's wrong?"

The dinosaur turned to him, wide-eyed. "This place is so huge… I still can't believe we all live here." he paused. "Why are there so many different people living with us?"

Silver laughed. "No, no… We're staying at a hotel for the Sochi Olympics – like what Princess Peach told you. This is where we will be until the events are over, we don't actually live here."

"But where _do_ we live?"

"In different dimensions. You're in Mario's group, and you're all from the same company. I am from a different team, therefore from another universe. Get me so far?"

"I guess that would explain why you looked so strange to me." Yoshi admitted with a sheepish grin. "No offense or anything…"

The hedgehog merely chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm used to it." he sighed as he moved his hands to the perky quills atop his head. Yoshi had took an interest in them suddenly, and watched as he smoothed them out. He stopped once he noticed the reptile's focused gaze, and forced a small smile.

"Do you like my quills?" It was an odd thing to ask. However, he wouldn't think the dinosaur would take note of that – especially in his current condition…

…which may have been his fault in the first place.

Yoshi smiled as he came back towards him with one of his arms extended. He began to stroke each standing quill, Silver flushed as he felt Yoshi's hand running between his quills. His touch was gentle and soothing, neither did he mind when those curious fingers found their way to one of his ears. He slowly traced the shape of his ear before travelling further towards the back, down one of the longer quills.

When he finally stopped he smiled again. He turned the other way and began walking down the hallway, humming. Silver watched after him with a dazed stare. Due to his amnesia, he had been so strange and curious. Yet, it made him cute and terribly innocent.

Not that he wasn't already cute and innocent.

He smiled inwardly as he remembered the first time they came to the hotel, and how Yoshi gawked at the place like he had earlier. And even how they both decided on a room together… His smile broadened as more memories of their days here in Sochi together swarmed his mind. A dreamily sigh had escaped him, even when the time at the hospital came to mind – right where Yoshi had called him pretty.

His cheeks heated into a light pink.

"Um… Silver?"

The hedgehog's blush deepened at the sound of his name by the adorable dinosaur.

"That is your name, right? Silver…?"

Suddenly a golden keycard was put to his face. Startled from his trance, Silver yelped and stumbled backwards… right into another person.

Now he was facing the ceiling, on the ground and on his back. Beside him was a man laying atop his luggage. Yoshi quickly came and pulled him off the ground while the man snarled up at Silver.

"Start watching where you're going, you oaf."

Before he was able to say anything, Yoshi made a response of his own – a rather sharp one at that. "Being rude doesn't get you anywhere, just so you know…"

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." the man stated dryly as he pulled himself up.

Instantly the dinosaur made another retort. "As well as you should, jerkoff." At this point Silver had already began pulling Yoshi down the hall to prevent anything else from initial. But then they came to an immediate stop when a long gasping sound was suddenly made. They exchanged confused glances, and hastily began looking around for the source of the sound.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S REALLY YOU!" Both looked down to find a beaming eight year-old boy. "YOSHI! HI YOSHI! WOW! THIS IS AWESOME!"

Yoshi smiled awkwardly at the little boy. "H-hi there…" he stammered as he gave a nervous wave. He yelped when something from beside him pulled him into a tight embrace.

A little nine year-old girl gawked up at him with her arms around him. "I'm you're biggest fan _ever_!" she squealed eagerly. The dinosaur flushed with a nervous smile, before looking over at Silver for help.

However, the little boy even had him cornered.

"No _way_. Silver the Hedgehog too? AWESOME!" he cheered, hoping around the hedgehog. He held his hand out to give him a high-five, in which Silver lightly gave.

The little girl, still holding Yoshi, looked up to him once more with a bright beam. "Can I have an autograph?"

"Me too! Me too!" the little boy shouted. Yoshi glanced at Silver again, looking upset and confused.

After a moment of thinking, Silver suggested, "How about a group photo?" The children glanced at their father who still stood in front of the elevator. With a sigh he nodded and took out his cell phone.

* * *

When they finally reached their hotel room, Yoshi was able to relax a bit. Silver had swiped his keycard to unlock the door to their room – which was actually called a suite.

Before them was a large room of ruby and cream. A wide inched flat screen TV that stood atop a TV stand was placed at the far left side of the room, a small desk to the right, and other exquisite furniture of padded chairs, a sofa, and a marble coffee table placed at the center of the room. The walls were adorned with golden-framed portraits and candelabras.

The flamboyance of this hotel is undoubtedly never-ending.

"This is the sitting room," he heard Silver spoke. "To your left is the bathroom. Over on your right is the bedroom."

Yoshi allowed his curiosity to get the better of him as he strode towards what was called the bathroom, a room of marble tiling and fine bathroom essentials. On the left side of the sink was the lavatory, on the right side was the bathtub. Furthermore to the right were the showers, which were behind the sliding glass door. The sink itself is actually a "double sink". Beneath the marble top it was wooden, with shelves for the rolled up towels and washcloths. Yoshi picked up one of the washcloths, and was impressed with the softness and warmth of the fabric.

It almost felt as soft as Silver's fur…

He instantly shook off the thought and placed the washcloth in its original place. Looking up he saw a reflection of himself through a large silver-framed mirror. For a long time he stared at his features: green and white, large blue eyes, round tummy… Gingerly he placed his hand to his nose, amazed over how incredibly large it was.

'_So this is what I look like…_' It wasn't before long when he noticed Silver staring at him from the background, who quickly looked away when he turned to look at him.

…Just like at the hospital.

Leaving the bathroom he traveled to the next room: the bedroom of which they supposedly share. A large room of crimson carpeting and king-sized beds greeted him, with a wooden desk sitting against the wall opposite of the bedroom door. Beside each bed was a nightstand with an ornate lamp, though only one had a digital clock. In front of the beds was yet another TV set, like the one in the sitting room. Yoshi walked over to the other side of the room, where the sunlight seeped through the closed curtains of the room's only window, and opened them.

The first thing that greeted him was the blinding shine of the evening sun. Below was the view of the parking lot, which felt quite bizarre. It was as if the world below him became very tiny – which was the best way he could describe it. It was such a shaky feeling, but at the same time it wasn't too terrible. Perhaps, it was just awkward…

"What do you think? Like what you see?" Silver came into the bedroom, and stood not too far behind him.

Yoshi turned around to face him properly. With a small smile, he replied, "Absolutely gorgeous. This place has yet failed to surprise me."

Silver smiled as well. "Good."

All of a sudden there was a knock on the door – the door that lead into the corridor, which for some reason made Silver huff and roll his eyes. He watched him march through the living room to reach the door, and he was taking his sweet time about it too. The action made Yoshi raise an eyebrow in mild curiosity… Does Silver not take kindly to visitors?

When the hedgehog finally reached the door and decided to open it, Yoshi was hanging in the doorway of the bedroom to see who it was at the door, and – hopefully – stay out of sight of their visitor.

This unwanted visitor turned out to be another hedgehog just like Silver. However, he was blue and his quills were in a different style, a more relaxed style. He wore red running shoes, with white straps and a golden buckle on the outer sides. His gloves were plain and white, and his eyes were a rather beautiful shade of green – resembling the most perfect emeralds imaginable. Even his teeth when he smiled were like polished little pearls.

He allowed himself into the suite without Silver's ok, still beaming. He seems like a really happy guy, Yoshi thought. Though he also seems like he believes it's okay for him to waltz into anywhere like it's nobody's business.

"'Sup Silver, heard Yoshi came back."

"Yeah, he did…" Silver sighed. "He's right in there." Not knowing that Yoshi was no longer in the bedroom, it looked like he was pointing directly at him. The blue hedgehog noticed immediately and zoomed right over to him.

It literally took him a second to do so.

He jumped back in shock. "W-whoa!"

"Hey Yoshi! How ya feeling, buddy?"

"Well… I guess… Wow, you're fast."

A cocky smile made its way to the blue hedgehog's muzzle, a type of smile that seemed all too familiar. "You know I'm the fastest thing alive, Yosh. Always had been the fastest competitor since the first Olympics… Haven't you and Daisy learned that by now?"

Yoshi slightly tilted his head sideways with a puzzled expression. "Who?"

His smile faltered slightly, but then picked back up. "Nice try Yosh, but that's a hard thing to miss. Even you know that."

Yoshi's expression never changed. "Still don't know what you're talking about." The smug smirk on the hedgehog's muzzle completely dissolved as Silver came over to join the both of them.

"Didn't Mario tell you?" he asked the blue hedgehog.

He shrugged. "All he said was that you guys brought Yoshi back."

Silver raised one of his brows. "Really? I find that hard to believe." Yoshi silently agreed.

"You think I would lie about that?"

"No, no… I just don't think he'd tell you about Yoshi without mentioning his amnesia."

"He has amnesia?!" he stole a glance at Yoshi, as he seemed full of shock and disbelief. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Another sigh had escaped from Silver. "Well, did he finish what he was saying before you came over here?"

His response was, yet, another shrug. "I dunno." Silver leaned to the side to pass Yoshi an exasperated look, the dinosaur only shrugged and shook his head in return.

"At the very least you know what your name is, right?" Yoshi asked.

"Ouch." The blue hedgehog stated, mostly in a joking manner. "To answer that ironic question: the name's Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Silver groaned. "Be nice…"

"What? He started it." Sonic said as he stuck his tongue out at Yoshi, who was offended by the gesture.

"Frankly, I didn't."

"I'm only messing with ya, Yosh." he gave him a wink, before walking over towards the door. "Say, you guys wanna head to the restaurant with me? Everyone's meeting up there anyway."

Silver began following him to the door, along with Yoshi. "As long as we're walking. It's too dangerous to run."

"Obviously you haven't met me, Silv." Sonic teased as he opened the door. "Guess it wouldn't hurt to take a stroll since we're leaving a little early. Just be sure to keep up with me, alright?" he walked out of the suite and into the hallway.

Yoshi followed Silver into the hallway, who shut the door behind them. Sonic was almost at the elevator as they were slowly making their way to join him, only when he had reached the elevator they quickened their pace. However, Yoshi stopped himself and Silver when they were at a distance away from the blue hedgehog.

He whispered, "I don't think I like him very much…"

"Believe me, he's a really good guy." Silver whispered back. "He's just… Sonic." Yoshi simply nodded.

…

By the time the trio had reached the restaurant the sky became a bluish-purplish hue, the large patches of clouds floated like shadows in the sky. Yoshi couldn't help but notice how the city lights went beautifully with the backdrop, and how well the glistening snow stood out in the semidarkness. The black and burgundy building they stood in front of had a large lit up sign on top that read "Lucky Duck Buffet".

Inside the restaurant had a variety of red, blue, yellow, and green tables and chairs, with tatami floor mats and wooden walls. The room was illuminated by the crimson lanterns that hung on the ceiling, and swamped with people on both sides of the restaurant – those that were already seated and others who were up wandering about with plates piled with food.

Sonic began pointing towards one of the large booths. "There's Mario over there." He was right, as there was also Princess Peach who sat next to him. On her other side was another hedgehog, yet pink, dressed in a white kimono adorned with cherry blossoms.

Silver glanced over at the booth, then back at Sonic. "Double date?"

"Amy's idea…" he sighed, while Silver nodded. The three went over to the booth to greet the others who were engaged in a deep conversation.

The first to notice them was the pink hedgehog, who was strikingly attractive in Yoshi's opinion. However, she seemed like she only acknowledged Sonic as she shot up from her seat and glared harshly at him.

"You're late."

Sonic looked both shocked and confused. "We just left the hotel. When did you guys get here?"

"Fifteen minutes ago." Peach answered, looking up with a smile.

Mario looked up at Sonic, smirking. "You're in big trouble, mister."

"Shut up…" grumbled the pouting hedgehog.

"I can't believe you kept me waiting for that long… when you promised you'd be on time!" the pink hedgehog shouted at him. "Mario came with his girlfriend. I even suggested that you walk with us, but _no_…"

"Relax, Amy. I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Oh… _Sonic_! You _always_ do this!" Amy, after stomping her foot, turned her head in the other direction and huffed. "I wouldn't be making such a big deal out of it if you hadn't done this constantly."

"It's alright, Amy." Peach intervened. "It's not worth creating a big scene over… As unfortunate as it is, men will be men."

"_Hey_!" Both Sonic and Mario exclaimed, while the girls shared a giggle.

Yoshi began to shift uncomfortably, and looked over at Silver who was pulling him towards the other side of the restaurant where rows of serving counters with a selection of food and dishes displayed were located. Silver picked up two plates, and handed one to the dinosaur.

"Just grab whatever looks good." he told him. "But we can go somewhere else if you don't find anything here that's enticing."

"I think I'll be fine." With a small smile, Silver turned and slowly walked down the aisle while observing each of the presented dishes.

Yoshi began to do the same, puzzlingly looking at each of the meals. He soon came across a red gooey-looking substance, and picked up the large spoon that sat in it. With the spoon he poked at the meal, which didn't feel completely soft. The next tray over contained things of orange, greens, and white – soaked in some sort of brown liquid.

'_What is this stuff?_'

The dinosaur's gaze switched to a short and bloated man in yellow, who was currently picking at a ball of white and olive green while scrunching his nose in disgust. Next to him was a lanky man in dark purple, who had a small amount on his plate. For some strange reason, just by looking at the two strange men he began to grow an unsettling vibe. It started to make him feel a little nervous…

"Good evening, Yoshi." Upon hearing his name by an unrecognizable voice, the dinosaur faced the owner of the voice behind him. There stood a magenta chameleon with his lips curved in a friendly smile, and a tray of food in his hands.

"H-hello…" His attention immediately returned to the food as he hadn't examined the rest of his appearance. The chameleon would have already been forgotten, had he not followed Yoshi down the aisle.

"I heard about the skiing incident… and hope that you are faring well." When Yoshi's response was a hardly audible '_Mm-hmm_', he continued. "I just know that you will overcome your injury. Amnesia doesn't last for very long, and you're a very strong person…"

"Thanks. That's very kind of you, um…" For a moment he turned to face the chameleon before him.

A small and gentle smile had formed. "Espio."

Yoshi smiled, which did not feel like a sincere smile. "Well, thank you, Espio. That was very sweet." The chameleon, for some odd reason, seemed flushed. Brushing away the thought, Yoshi merely assumed that he was having some sort of heat flash. As it is very warm in the restaurant.

Being able to study his face for a moment, he noticed he had the same colored eyes as Silver – akin to piercing golden orbs. Though the more he stared at the chameleon, the more a strange burning sensation within his chest developed. He couldn't explain what it was exactly, let alone have the slightest clue as to what it could mean. It bothered him. Practically to no end, it was eating at him… and it deeply troubled him.

He began to wonder just who exactly this guy is before him. Does he mean something to him? Had he always been on good terms with him? …His train of thought trailed off course once he came across a green and mushy matter. He cringed, what was this supposed to be?

Suddenly, a snickering man in violet and navy overalls stood beside him, stroking his thin and oddly-shaped mustache. Up close, Yoshi was able to scrutinize him properly. His purple hat had an inverted "L" on it, just like his white gloves. To him, especially in the face, the man looked like a demented version of Luigi. Next to him was the stout man in yellow with his symbol as a "W". However, his overalls were purple and his shoes were green. He looked similar to Mario, but _much_ more revolting in appearance.

Just now it dawned onto him that they were the guys he saw at a different aisle.

Once again the man in the purple had another laughing fit, which made Yoshi even more tense. He stared down at his empty plate, and tightly gripped it.

"That stuff is good, you gotta try it!" he said, pointing towards the green stuff.

Yoshi swallowed, staring at the substance once more. "W-what is it?"

"Ice cream." answered the smaller man wryly, before sharing a smirk with his taller look-alike.

"What does ice cream taste like?"

"Why dontchya find out?" Without further conversation, the man in purple took a large spoonful of the dish and slapped it on Yoshi's plate. Next he handed him a spoon, still smirking, while the other man had a glass of water standing by.

Yoshi scooped up a good amount on his spoon, and glanced at the peculiar pair with an irresolute look. With a thumbs-up and cheesy grin from both of them, the dinosaur shoved the spoonful into his mouth and reluctantly swallowed.

He waited.

They waited.

Everything that could be happening within the background was completely blurred out. It was almost as if they were the only ones left in the restaurant, and time itself had stopped between them.

_Three…_ The air around them felt like it was becoming oppressively hot.

_Two…_ Unless if it was his imagination, the smiles of both men were broader and more devious.

_One…_ All was frozen once more.

…

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

All at the same time; the men before him exploded with laughter, he himself burst into tears, and his mouth felt as if it had became a cavern of flames. The commotion was enough to halt everyone throughout the restaurant in place. He was screaming in searing pain and running around in circles. A glass of ice water was found on the counter, he picked it up and drunk the entire glass in one large swig.

Alas… the pain only grew worse.

He cried, being the only thing he could do – or _knew_ what to resort to. Silver, Mario, and everyone else there he already knew and or met came rushing around him. The men standing… or rolling around – in front of him did nothing… but die of laugher. They received the glares of daggers from around him. Mario and Amy were going off, the pink hedgehog even pulled out a rather large hammer and began chasing them around the store. The manager of the restaurant came and kicked them all out for the disorderly conduct.

Outside was a swarming crowd of the waiting cameras and microphones of reporters and paparazzi. The party had been successful in fighting their way through the crowd while leaving the restaurant, however unfortunate being stopped by the horde waiting in front of the hotel.


	3. Friends

**It has been a while since a proper update. For that, I apologize. (Life has been crazy.)**

**This chapter took much longer than what I expected. We're looking at over 5000 words for this one, folks. My fingers have minds of their own, apparently. Hopefully this chapter makes up for the hiatus.**

**Any who, have at it.**

* * *

Once morning arrived, the events from the night afore was brought to the attention of the universe. Articles had been posted all over the internet and sold throughout the city, much to the plumber's apparent grief. Now any who happened to take a glimpse at them within the streets would know for sure: those were the fools from the Chinese restaurant.

Nintendo and Sega were furious and had sent scathing letters to both him and Sonic, along with the threat of canceling the Olympics all together. Wario and Waluigi, the clowns that tricked Yoshi and unleashed all hell, were given a good thrashing of the tongue from Mario himself – the miserable sods still hadn't heard the end of it. And by the sound of things, their other peers had been giving them lip as well.

Yoshi hadn't left the suite all morning; hurt by the mean trick the two played on him, embarrassed that the world also knows of it, and downright depressed about his entire situation. He had even refused to eat that morning, afraid his mouth would go up in flames had he ate anything else. Silver had kept trying to coax him out of the hotel and at least bring him to practice with the other athletes.

However, it was to no avail.

The disturbed dinosaur mostly remained in the bedroom, either engrossed with the television or gazing out the window for several hours, with visitors coming up to check on him every so often.

Sonic, Peach, and Amy visited him twice.

Luigi came three times.

Mario came up between every hour.

Even Espio came up once or twice.

But Silver had hardly left the room, if at all.

The hedgehog waited on him hand and foot – or at least offered to. He hadn't asked for anything; all he wanted was the memory of last night to go away. All of it.

…No… He wanted nothing more than the memories he lost to return to him once more. What he wanted was his old self: the Yoshi he was always known as, the Yoshi _he_ himself had always known. Not the meek and gullible fool everyone sees now. He wanted things to return to normal again.

He wanted this to have never happened in the first place.

* * *

Distress, annoyance, rage, and sadness; a storm of mixed feeling that conjured within the mind of Silver the Hedgehog.

He was distraught because the dinosaur refused to eat or drink anything. All day he laid in bed, only getting up when he found it necessary – which happened only twice thus far. Annoyed with the stunt Wario and Waluigi pulled last night that caused a huge scene and had them all banned from the store. Livid at what they've done to Yoshi, and at himself for not watching him and keeping him close. And last, but not least, blue at the sight of a broken Yoshi distantly staring out the window as he sat on his bed. He hadn't ask for anything from him, let alone spoke to him. The detached reptile mostly kept his back towards him, the only kind of response he gave was a silent shaking of the head, and nothing more.

Every bit of it crushed him.

The hedgehog skipped practice today to stay with Yoshi, to make damn sure to keep an eye on him. This entire fiasco was his fault, after all. His deep regret made him wish he had stopped the dinosaur from going down the hill.

Which did nothing but enhance his grief.

Vigorous knocking on the door snapped him out of his thoughts as he slowly pulled himself off the couch and towards the door. To no surprise of his, it was Mario… this time holding a plate covered with aluminum foil.

"I've had it." he said in a low tone. "He needs to eat."

"Try telling him that…" the hedgehog sighed. "I've been trying to get him to eat something."

"We just need a different approach." With that, the plumber allowed himself into the suite, taking the plate of food into the bedroom. Silver less heartily followed, carrying with him the doubt of what Mario had planned.

The plumber knocked on the opened bedroom door, causing the Yoshi to tear away from the window and have his gaze rest on him. He walked up to the dinosaur beside where he sat on the bed, his stern gaze upon the Yoshi's blank stare. "Yoshi, you need to eat. You are going to eat what I brought up for you… End of discussion."

Briefly, Yoshi glanced at the covered plate in his hands, before looking up at him. "No thanks."

With an exasperated sigh, Mario sat on the bed next to the gloomy Yoshi. He looked dead into his deep blue eyes. "I know you, Yoshi… I know for a fact that you wouldn't go through a whole day without eating something. Especially not willingly." the dinosaur merely turned away from him, fixing his gaze towards the carpeting. Sighing softly, the plumber inched closer towards him. He took a deep breath.

"Listen, Yoshi, you can trust me." he paused, looking over towards Silver who stood behind him. "You can trust us. We won't hurt you, but we will do our best to keep you safe. You just need to trust us." For a minute he let his words sink in, before directing his gaze towards him once again. "We know you have amnesia, and we will not ask much of you. In fact; the only thing we ask from you is your trust. Whatever Wario and Waluigi told you… don't listen to them. Not all foods taste like wasabi; the meal I have for you is nowhere near as spicy."

Mario extended his arms and held the plate in front of him, Yoshi continued to stare at the plate. "We care about you, Yoshi. So don't even think for _one second_ that we would just sit here and let you starve. You're eating what I have for you. The end."

Silver sat down on the foot of the bed, and watched as the dinosaur slowly took the food from the plumber. "We're really worried about you, and we want you to be healthy again, Yoshi." the hedgehog spoke. "Even if you can't do it for you… do it for us."

Yoshi stared at the plate in his lap. He looked up to Mario, his eyes carrying a new spark of hope. "Am I going to be okay?"

"You're going to be A-Okay." Mario assured with a bright beam. "Because we said so." Yoshi glanced at Silver, who gave him a reassuring smile. Looking back down at the plate, he finally removed the foil. On the plate was a couple pieces of seasoned chicken, complemented with stuffing and string beans. The scent of the food seemed to of had the dinosaur intrigued, the steam coming from the plate confirmed the freshness and heat of the contents.

"That's not all. I've even brought you desert…" Mario pulled out something else wrapped in foil. From the shape alone, Silver could tell it was a big slice of watermelon. "This was your favorite fruit. You loved these."

"What is that?" Yoshi asked, pointing towards the object in his hand.

"Watermelon. But I can't let you have it until I see you eat your food."

Without haste, Yoshi picked up a slice of the chicken breast and popped it into his mouth. Another moment or so, he finished off the rest of the chicken and took a small bite of the stuffing and string beans. The rest of the meal was poured into his mouth before he licked his lips with a satisfied moan. It brought a smile to the plumber's face, as well as Silver's, both please that they've finally convinced him to eat.

Mario unwrapped the watermelon and handed it to Yoshi. He took a large bite of the fruit, smiling as he savored the taste. The rest was eaten in one gulp, and he was content with the meal he had.

Stretching his arms he laid out on the bed, sharing with Mario and Silver his own happy grin, thus enhancing their smiles. As Mario got up to leave, Silver mouthed to him 'Thank you.', his smile warm and filled with gratitude. Amiably the plumber gently placed his hand on his shoulder before exiting the bedroom.

The hedgehog scooted closer to his gratified friend, and began to stroke his white tummy. The dinosaur sighed softly as he began to relax, his eyelids struggling to stay opened. Silver chuckled. "Tomorrow we'll get you out of the hotel. You can come to practice with me and the other participants, I'm sure they'll all be happy to see you."

"Mm-hmm…" Yoshi mumbled, sounding as if he was about to drift to sleep. Smiling, Silver rested his head on his stomach, relaxing as he listened to the steady breathing of the dinosaur. As he laid there with his hand softly caressing Yoshi's tummy, Silver's eyelids began to grow heavy as he was enjoying the current moment… and allowed his eyelids to fall with ease. Both he and Yoshi were at ease… and _together_. He couldn't ask for a better moment than the one they currently shared.

But he only wished that the dinosaur was free from his amnesia…

Soft knocking coming from the bedroom door immediately brought the pair back into sitting positions, startled eyes glued to the person at the door. There Peach stood, her hands folded in front of her with a soft smile on her face.

She walked into the room and stood in front of the TV, but kept her posture. "We have a surprise for you." she said, motioning one of her hands towards the door.

As if on que, Amy came through the door with Wario and Waluigi behind her, dragging them into the room by their earlobes. By the time she released them, both men were nursing their ears. Silver smiled inwardly, contented and amused with the scene before him.

The pink hedgehog pushed the two closer to the bed, who slouched and grumbled with sour expressions. With a smug smile on her muzzle, Amy spoke, "Now; do either of you have something to say to Yoshi?"

The Wario bros only responded with synchronized groans.

"What was that?" Amy asked with a mildly threatening tone. "I don't think he heard you…"

"…Sorry…" the two moaned, their eyes glued at the carpeting.

"_For_…?" Peach inquired passively.

Both Wario and Waluigi huffed, before collectively groaning, "For tricking you into eating wasabi…"

"_Say _it like you _mean _it." Amy snapped. The pair repeated themselves, although faster than necessary, thus resulting a kick behind the leg from Amy.

"Let's try that again…"

"No. Close enough." Yoshi shrugged, leaning back into the pillows. "Thank you kindly, ladies. And… thanks for trying, guys." The girls smiled while Wario and Waluigi grumbled beneath their breaths, already turning to leave.

"Get well soon, Yoshi!" Amy turned around and marched out of the room, grabbing the two men by the ears as she walked out of the suite. Peach nodded farewell to Silver and Yoshi before following the others out the door.

Silver got up from Yoshi's bed and proceeded to walk towards his own. "Looks like it'll be bedtime soon."

"So soon?" Yoshi frowned, glancing out the window once more. "But why?"

"Well… as athletes, we need all the rest we can get so we'll have plenty of energy to practice for the Olympics. As they say; practice makes perfect." the hedgehog began to pull back the covers on his bed, and making the necessary arrangements to settle in the bed. "Not to mention how quickly it gets dark during this time of year. But regardless, we need as much rest as possible."

"I take it you're really competitive?" the dinosaur asked, getting up from his bed.

The hedgehog shrugged, slightly unsure how to make of the question. "I guess so. But, I just follow the rules and do the best I can in these things."

Yoshi nodded, adjusting his bed to his liking. "Just, how hard are these games, really? I mean, everyone I know so far is taking part in the events, and I know that I had as well – according to you guys anyway." He looked up at the hedgehog, who had his eyebrow raised in mild confusion. The dinosaur paused momentarily before continuing. "I guess what I'm asking is; is it possible for me to relearn how to play the sports? In time, at least?"

Sighing through his nose, Silver dropped his head, finishing what needed to be done with his bed. "Well… I guess that all depends on how soon your memory comes back…"

With his own sigh, Yoshi plopped back down on his bed, his gaze resting on the comforters. "That's not ever going to happen… is it?"

"Absolutely _not_." Silver stated firmly as he stood up straight. "You heard what Mario said. It's going to take time for your memories to come back, be it sooner or later. Even if they don't come back in time for the Olympics, the only thing that matters is if they come back at all." He kept his eyes glued to the reptile and awaited for his response, though he only sat there with a blank expression on his face as he fiddled with his blankets.

Silver slowly sat down on his bed, his gaze fixed on the bedroom door. He had just remembered Mario stating that they still had to see what needed to be done about Yoshi's partaking in the events. The answer seems obvious, even the plumber himself knew that – the saddened and disappointed look in his eyes already told Silver of the likely outcome. But there wasn't a thing either of them could say to the Yoshi.

The truth may crush the dinosaur's spirits even further.

"…You're right." the Yoshi finally admitted, after releasing a heavy sigh. "I should be thankful if my memories come back at all… I can't begin to imagine not being able to remember how amazing my friends must really be." the hedgehog returned his gaze towards him, a small smile forming on his muzzle.

His sweet personality still hasn't left him.

"And hopefully, you will remember how amazing of a person _you_ are, Yoshi."

* * *

His smile was warm, his words lightly tugged at his heartstrings, everything he had done for him thus far was out of generosity – or maybe there was more to that.

There are so many people standing by him, and who are all willing to help him. How was he in acquaintance with such a nice group of people? He even had plenty of fans – people _outside_ of his life who admired and supported him. Was he really as amazing as the hedgehog commented?

Who was he? Who _is_ Yoshi?

* * *

Silver's faint blush faded as he came to realize something. He rose from his bed and began to walk over towards the TV stand. After picking up the remote-control he turned to Yoshi and asked, "Did you wanna watch some TV?"

A baffled expression appeared on the dinosaur's face, before he glanced at the TV behind the hedgehog and his face lit up in acknowledgment. He smiled and nodded eagerly, and Silver turned on the TV and tossed him the remote.

"You go ahead and pick a channel, okay?" he began to walk towards the window while Yoshi stared awkwardly at the remote.

After Silver had closed the curtains, he turned and found everything in the picture on the flat screen reversing at a fast pace. Yoshi was staring at the TV and the remote with a nonplussed frown and mumbled, "How do I work this thing?" He pressed another button on the remote, but all it did was turn the volume on and off. Silver chuckled, though Yoshi was becoming frustrated. He pressed another button, which had caused the picture on the screen to stop.

The dinosaur immediately dropped the remote. He directed his widened eyes towards the hedgehog and asked in a worried tone "Did I break it?"

Silver laughed, but then stopped once he realized what he did. Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he walked towards the bed and sat beside his troubled friend. "I can't believe I forgot about your amnesia… Just like that." he chuckled. "I'm sorry. I just thought you'd already… never mind. Let me see the remote."

Once he was given the remote, Silver held it in a way for Yoshi to see as well with one hand, while pointing to each button with the other. "This button here you've just pressed was the 'Stop' button, which stops the picture from moving. To have it move again, just press the 'Play' button above it." He pressed the mentioned button, before he continued. "These buttons next to it are the 'Rewind' and 'Fast Forward' buttons. Down here near the bottom are the buttons you would use to change the channels and the volume. The small button beneath the volume was the 'Mute' button… used to turn on and off the volume. Those are the basics."

"Right." Yoshi took back the remote and began to flip through the channels, in which he settled on the cartoons.

The hedgehog got up and asked "Anything you need while I'm up?"

"All set…" he yawned, pulling the covers over himself and snuggling within the bed. Within what seemed like no time, Yoshi was fast asleep.

Silver chuckled upon watching the silly dino fall asleep, inwardly melting at the sight before him. Oh how he wanted to plant a kiss upon the terribly cute slumbering dinosaur.

Seeing as he was the only one within the room – as well as the only one awake – he leaned over and placed a soft swift kiss atop the Yoshi's nose.

…

Once morning arrived, Silver and Yoshi went to a breakfast buffet inside the hotel. After breakfast the pair headed outside, Silver pulled out the map of the area and began to unfold it completely. Yoshi was staring at the map wide-eyed, while the hedgehog went over the geographies.

"This is the map for all of the sports venues." he explained, eyes glued to the map. "It's really huge. Half of the facilities are located in the mountains, while the other half is by the sea. The Olympic Park, or the costal cluster, is located near the sea. That area alone was designed to hold over seventy-thousand people…"

"That's great, but how do we get there?" Yoshi asked, wanting to explore.

"But wait, there's more. The other half is called the mountain cluster. There's the Olympic Village, other hotels, a media center… and I think there's a few restaurants there. If my memory is correct, Amy said something about a spa being located…"

"But _how_ do we _get_ there?" Yoshi queried impatiently.

With a sigh and a frown, Silver closed the map in half and answered "Well, that depends on _where_ you want to go. I'm just letting you know where's what so you'd have a choice."

For a moment the Yoshi silently pondered his thoughts, before he answered "The Olympic Park sounds interesting. What sports do they have over there?"

"Anything that has to do with skating, but everything's in separate domes." Silver once again opened the map and began leading the both of them towards the dinosaur's desired destination. "We're using the Bolshoy Ice Dome for ice hockey, Ice Cube Curling Center for curling, Alder Arena aka Skating Center for speed skating, Iceberg Skating Palace for figure skating and short track events…"

"We get to skate in an actual ice palace?!" the Yoshi gasped.

Silver laughed. "No, it's just the name."

"Oh…" Yoshi let out a disappointed sigh, before releasing his own chuckle. "Still, that would be pretty cool."

"I agree." the hedgehog said with a small giggle.

It was approximately thirty minutes later by the time the pair reached the Olympic Park by foot. Upon arrival, Yoshi gawked at all of the sights the area had to offer. The beauty of the area and its surrounding arenas even captured the eyes of the silver hedgehog. It was a sight he could never get over. The nighttime view – especially when they had the opening ceremony – was even more breathtaking.

That overwhelming feeling, the rush that traveled within them since their first time setting foot in the stadium, the zest of being an olympic athlete, a very intense emotion that danced upon the heartstrings.

It was truly amazing.

Taking a deep breath, basking in the air around him, a huge smile grew on Silver's muzzle. His determination stood with him. In his mind he was impeccable. Invincible. The only thing that would have made it more perfect was if the Yoshi he originally knew was standing beside him.

All the same, he loved that Yoshi. And he would do whatever it takes to bring him to his original self. He will strive to make everything right again…

…and fix the mess he started in the first place…

He was snapped out of his thoughts when a flying snowball made contact with the back of his head. He stumbled forward out of shock, before glaring harshly in the direction it came from.

Only when he saw some familiar faces did his expression slightly softened.

"Gotchya!" a green crocodile laughed from afar, waltzing up to the hedgehog with a pleased grin. With a sleek pair of headphones on his head and a thick gold chain around his neck, it was none other than one of his peers from the Sonic Team.

"Morning, Vector." Sliver wearily greeted. "What are you doing, exactly?"

"Nothing much." the crocodile shrugged. "Just going for a stroll… 'till the end of the playlist, that is." he pointed towards his headphones.

"Okay. But why did you – " his sentence fell short with a yelp when another snowball hit him from behind, colliding into his bottom. Now officially steamed, Silver whipped his body towards the source of the snowball and screamed "STOP THROWING SNOWBALLS AT ME!" A snicker emerged from the crocodile behind him, who immediately covered his smirk when the hedgehog turned to throw an evil glare at him.

From behind one of the pillars, a head belonging to a certain ape's slowly rose into view, a crimson tie hanging with the letters "DK" in yellow hanging from his neck. Wide-eyed he meekly stated "My bad… I was aiming for Vector."

"Yeah right!" Vector bellowed in a laugh, nearly bursting the hedgehog's eardrums in advance.

Silver huffed, his cheeks heating up in anger, while the two shared a laugh over their shenanigans. "_Why_ are you two attacking me with snowballs?" the hedgehog hardly bothered to disguise his annoyance.

An air of silence hung over the three as Donkey Kong and Vector exchanged a look for a moment or so. Finally, Vector was the one to answer the fuming hedgehog. "Well, you see other people walking around here, right?" With a tight expression on his muzzle, Silver silently nodded. "Throwing snowballs at you would prevent us from getting sued." the pair once again roared in laughter.

A poisonous glare forming upon his muzzle, the hedgehog slightly lifted from the ground, a turquoise aura surrounding his frame. The designs on his clothing glowed vividly, the palms of his hands were faced upward…

When the mischievous pair caught sight of this, their laughter came to an immediate halt. Vector held out his hands and shouted frantically. "Whoa, whoa! I was joking! I'm sorry! We're just practicing our aiming for Snowball Scrimmage, that's all!"

"You mean… the Dream Event where we're using _machines_?"

"Well we still gotta aim with the thing…"

Another minute or two had passed before the hedgehog resumed his normal state, the glowing effects dying down as feet returned to the ground. He sighed, releasing a small percent of his aggravation as he exhaled after a deep breath. Calmly he spoke. "Use something else as a practice target, okay?"

"Will do!" Vector loudly exclaimed as he gave a thumbs up. "And while we're still talking, we heard about what happened to Yoshi."

It took a while for Silver to register what the crocodile was talking about, before he dropped his head. "Oh… Yeah…"

"Why'd you do it?" Donkey Kong suddenly asked, anger in his voice. "Why'd you let that happen to him? You were there with him, weren't you?"

"Of course I was!" the hedgehog snapped. "I tried to stop him, DK, but he was already down the mountain!"

"So you just let him go anyway, in spite of the weather that day." the ape snarled. "What? You couldn't use your powers to stop him and bring him back up the mountain?"

"I would _never_ use my powers on _any_ of my friends."

"Bullshit. You almost did it to us. And with Yoshi it could have been a life-or-death situation, but you still chose to sit there and do _nothing_!"

"I went down the mountain _with_ him!"

"But you _didn't_ get hurt, _he_ did!"

"_You weren't even there_! How _dare_ you call me a bad friend!"

"Well the _whole_ town's heard of it! Not everyone can be wrong, pal."

"They can when they don't know what happed."

"ALRIGHT!" Vector exploded, stepping between the two. "So Yoshi has amnesia now. The only thing we can do as friends is to be there for him! The both of you acting like a bunch of fools isn't gonna do anything to help him!"

"I _am_ trying to help!" Silver barked as his glare was still fixed on the ape.

Donkey Kong withdrew from the group, walking in a circle as he exclaimed "OH THAT'S A LOAD OF…" he flew towards the hedgehog, shoving him hard into the snow. Anger officially taken control of him, Silver got up and jumped atop the ape and grabbed him in a headlock. Donkey Kong turned and flopped backwards into the snow, as if he tried to land on top of his opponent.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Vector tried to break up the fight, but resulted in being pulled into the tussle. Alas, he ate a lot of the blows that were thrown between the two.

After a few minutes of rolling around in the snow, Donkey Kong stood with one hand wrapped tightly around the hedgehog's neck and the other balled into a fist as it reeled for a good strike. Vector got up and grabbed onto the arm that was pulled back, in attempt to stop DK from landing the blow. Silver had his hands wrapped around the monkey's wrist, and began to glow cyan as the symbols on his clothing stared to glow vividly once again.

"STOP!" a voice shrieked, thus causing the tangled trio to freeze in their positions.

A green dinosaur with a large round nose and narrowed blue eyes stood before him, his hands resting on his hips. "Put him _down_." he sternly ordered.

"But _he's_ the reason you have amnesia!" Donkey Kong maintained, and gave the hedgehog a rough shake.

"_No_! He's not… _I _am." Yoshi declared. He dropped his head, and solemnly spoke, "If I had listened to him, I wouldn't be in this situation. I wouldn't have thrown everything off-balance for anyone."

"Yoshi…" Silver was dropped into the snow by Donkey Kong, who had already begun making his way to the dinosaur.

"I'm just glad that you're here, safe and sound, even if you're not a hundred percent you."

"And I'm happy that you guys still support me, even if I have let you down…"

"Garbage. We're here for ya, Yoshi. And that's that." Vector chimed in.

"If there's anything we can do to help you out, you know we would." Donkey Kong then turned around and began walking over towards the hedgehog. "And, Silver… sorry for jumping down your throat the way I did. I was just that worried about my buddy."

"Well, you're n – AH!" he shrieked when Donkey Kong lifted him high off the ground, before placing him on his two feet once again. He dusted the snow off of him before he continued. "Alright DK, but you're not the only one whose worried about Yoshi."

"No… Really? I had _no_ idea…" he stopped himself for a minute. "…Yeah. Okay." he turned around and left, looking back once more at Yoshi. The crocodile said his goodbyes before running to catch up with the ape.

Doing all he can to regain his composure – which he lost for a while at this point, Silver watched the pair leave, the dinosaur standing next to him. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed deeply, as Yoshi placed his hands on his hips once again. "What's that guy's problem?"

Silver released another sigh. "He's just really worried about you, Yoshi. But if I run into _either_ of them again, it'd be too soon… Anyway, where did you disappear to? I thought you were still with me?"

"I went over there." Yoshi said, pointing towards somewhere ahead of them. "It had an amazing view – I saw each of the six different buildings, but… you only told me of four arenas."

"Well, you can't just leave my sight like that. I have to be able to know where you are, so that same fiasco like last time doesn't happen again." he looked straight into the Yoshi's eyes, his sadness and gravity expressed through the pupils of his own. "I would _never_ forgive myself if you were to get hurt again. I _still_ can't get over your amnesia. Every time I look at you… I'm reminded of… how I…"

"I don't blame you." the dinosaur stated. "Unless you physically pushed me down the mountain, I don't see a reason to place blame on you. For that I only have myself to blame."

"But… I've never even told you…" His face felt tight, his eyes felt warm, and it hurt to talk. Silver closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, in which was no more stable than a shudder. "I never told you what exactly happened…"

Yoshi took the hedgehog's face within his hands, and tilted it upward to face his. Their eyes were locked with the other, a stolen moment was shared between the both of them as they remained in their current positions.

"That can be a story for another time…" the Yoshi softly spoke. "For now, we have some sports to play. Cheer up." he smiled lightly.

"But Yoshi…" he paused, and stared into the expression of his friend. His smile, his eyes… there's heart in them. He wasn't looking at the same broken Yoshi that was in his room yesterday, but the same Yoshi he knew before the accident in the Extreme Park. The same Yoshi he was best friends with during the Olympic games. The same Yoshi he grew fond of during his first year of joining the Olympics.

But all the same, he loves this Yoshi. With or without his amnesia.

Finally he gave his own small smile and nodded. The dinosaur used his thumb from one hand to lightly brush away the liquid that threatened to run down his cheek. Silver once again found himself melting before the Yoshi; the look in his eyes, the feel of his touch, the sensation coming from his smile and kind words…

It was almost becoming agonizing.

Sweet and adorable Yoshi. He has his heart by its strings.


	4. Truth

**So, it looks like this fanfic is officially one year old! The updates, however, have been as slow as molasses. Haha... I haven't shown much attention to this fanfic, and for that, I apologize. Lately I've been lacking in physical and emotional health, so things are moving very slowly. I promise, I've still been working very hard on these, and as much as I can.**

**But if I slip up, feel free to call me out on it, if you must. No one is perfect, and I'm far from it.**

* * *

Yoshi took his hand within his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. Silver's smile grew, his eyes rested upon his within an affectionate stare. The dinosaur began to swing their hands back and forth as he lightly rocked on his heels, while the hedgehog felt a blush returning to his muzzle and turned the other way in a feeble attempt to hide it.

'_He's just too cute…_'

Quickly shaking away the thought, he cleared his throat before he spoke, once again regarding the Olympic venues. "So, only one of the venues are used to have the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympics. The other one is another hockey arena."

The dinosaur's head cocked sideways, clearly seeming puzzled. "But why are there two arenas for the same sport?"

"I'm… not sure. But, do you know which one you want to go to yet?"

Yoshi began looking around the area, before making his final decision. "Curling please." he beamed.

"R-_really_?" Yoshi nodded. After an uncomforting moment of Silver staring at Yoshi, he finally spoke, chuckling slightly. "Heh… Guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You loved this sport…"

"So, how do you play?"

"It's pretty simple. Or… it _looks_ simple."

Upon appearing in front of the Curling Center, they were greeted by a familiar high-pitched voice. "_Yoshi_! Hey!" The reptile was unacquainted with the voice, of course, but he seemed to be very bothered by it.

He moved closer to Silver and cowered. "Who's yelling at me? What did I do?" he whimpered.

"Yoshi…? Y-_Yoshi_!"

"Ah! Stop yelling at me! …Wait…" As soon as he recognized Mario's voice, he pulled himself upright, perkiness returning to his voice. "Hi Mario! I didn't even notice you." Looking over at Mario, Silver couldn't help but notice his startled expression. He wasn't expecting to see them, especially not Yoshi – he knew. It never even occurred to him that the plumber would likely scold him if he caught Yoshi participating in one of the sports with his current condition…

Now, however, he wasn't sure whether or not the mascot was about to do exactly that.

A young mushroom looking character in a blue vest, and five red dots on his "cap" – who he believed was called Toad – came running to greet the both of them… or the dinosaur he was calling out earlier. Yoshi, who saw the little guy rushing up to him whilst waving his hands frantically, cowered behind the silvery hedgehog once more with a worried whimper. Toad must have took notice, seeing as his sprint slowed until it came to a complete halt.

His beam instantly became a frown as his gaze dropped to the ground. "Oh… yeah, I forgot about that." a saddened sigh was released. "Sorry…"

A metallic Chao floated towards the Toad, resting one of its stubby arms atop of Toad's head for reassurance. "Welcome back, Yoshi. And hello, Silver."

"Hey Omochao." the hedgehog greeted somberly.

Espio joined the group, a warm smile crossing his muzzle. "I'm happy to see you're feeling better, Yoshi."

"And might I add how surprised I am to see you here." Mario spoke, also joining them. His tone was sharp, something Silver was afraid of. "Why are you even here?"

Before Silver had the chance to explain himself, Yoshi had beat him to it. "We were about to go play some Olympic games." He knew the dinosaur didn't apprehend the gravity that lingered the air, and his beam didn't serve to be any more helpful than his sentence.

"You can't. You're not supposed to."

"But Silver said it was alright…" he paused. "Wait… I'm _not_ supposed to?"

"No," he said, glaring at Silver. "At least, not when we were still figuring out things."

"I-I'm sorry…" Silver flushed. "I didn't know… I was only thinking about getting him out of the hotel for a bit."

Toad finally spoke up, a heavy sigh escaping him. "It… doesn't really matter now, everything's been finalized…"

The dinosaur was now puzzled. "So… I _can_ play sports?"

"No, you can't…" Toad exhaled warily. "Because you're currently suffering an injury, Yoshi, you're not allowed to play anymore sports that could cause serious head injuries… or any sort of damage to the body."

"Because of your amnesia, of course, you no longer have the ability to play these events, because you don't remember how to perform them." Espio explained. "Therefore, making it dangerous for you to participate in now that you lack knowledge and experience."

"So…" Omochao spoke, heavy grief apparent between his words. "we all came to an agreement that you would be banned from taking part in the Olympic Games until you recover from your amnesia."

"This was something the doctor also recommended." Mario sighed. His frown deepened as his gloved hand ran through his short brown hair. "Both companies finalized it as well, and would rather see it done."

A frown formed on Silver's tan muzzle. "But… that means you'll be down a team member."

"Still, the show must go on." the metallic chao spoke. "The Olympic Games are about two weeks away, so it's quite likely that he'll regain his memory by then. But if he doesn't…" A collective sigh from Mario and Toad was nothing short of a clear punctuation.

Yoshi still seemed lost, with his blank stare and his jaw agape. They were all looking at him, saddened gazes changed into ones full of concern – assuming Omochao has been making those very same expressions, anyhow. Everyone except for Silver, that is, who had his gaze switched his gaze to the ground, allowing some time for his own thoughts to consume him.

The dinosaur appeared to have been processing the conversation for a while, something of which could not have been broken down to anything simpler… The others, who already felt bothered having this discussion, were ready to simply leave it at that and go about their separate ways…

"Then what am I supposed to do for all that time? Twiddle my thumbs?" he sounded slightly depressed again, and perhaps a little angry. His disappointment was well understood by everyone else, and it made Silver feel even guiltier.

"Just temporarily," Omochao responded.

"Which is still a better option than you getting hurt again." the plumber bluntly stated. "I'm sure you don't want to end up receiving anything worse than amnesia. You could end up with severe brain damage if you're not careful."

"What if I could prove to you I can?" protested the determined reptile. "Just because I have amnesia doesn't mean you have to treat me like some friable object."

"Yes, it does!" Mario barked, which caught everyone by surprise – given how calm he has been since the entire fiasco started. Of course, it doesn't mean he wasn't stressing, as shown by the patience he was starting to lose. Once he took notice for himself – seeing the startled expression on Yoshi – he softened, taking a deep exhale through his round nose. "In a way, you kind of are." he breathed, his tone becoming mellow once more. "Knowing your current 'predicament'… you can't do some of the things you used to do, like sports. Most of these sports can be very dangerous, especially when you don't know what you're doing. And even if you did, it's still a very big risk to take." He had hope the dinosaur would comply and leave it be.

Of course, that'll be asking for too much… "Then have someone reteach me."

"Exactly what I meant; it _doesn't_ matter. There's always a chance you could get hurt, especially when you're first learning – where it's always the hardest."

"In truth, you're just better off waiting until your memory returns." Toad concluded. "Trying to relearn them at this point will do you no good, and it won't qualify you to compete again, either."

The magenta reptile beside him gently placed his hand on the Yoshi's shoulder, a soft gesture for some sort of comfort. "Our deepest apologies, Yoshi, but we hope you understand it is for your own safety."

Although Silver already suspected as much, still, he felt that he carried most of the blame.

* * *

Yoshi welcomed the comfort given to him, certainly, but he also knew he didn't deserve it either. Whatever he did to land him in his current predicament – as far as he knew – it was his fault. Logically, it would mostly be his fault. Yet, everyone was treating him so nicely… and practically bending backwards for him… Was taking him out of the Olympic Games his only punishment for his recklessness?

Perhaps, the final ruling was justified after all. He would not participate in the Olympics, because of his sheer stupidity.

It's certainly all his fault.

"It's all my fault…" All eyes fell on Silver, as he spoke up suddenly. "I'm sorry…" As the hedgehog's head somehow managed to drop further, Yoshi's frown deepened even more. Didn't they _just_ have this discussion?

However, Mario spoke up before he had the chance to call him out on the statement. His tone remained the same as before: firm, yet very compassionate. "None of that matters, Silver. As I'm sure you're already well aware of; it could have been a lot worse."

"Like as previously mentioned: permanent brain damage." the metallic… creature added. "The list can go on… but the fact remains: he's okay." Lifeless yellow eyes were fixated on the dinosaur – for only a brief moment. "…For the most part, anyway." A sheepish chuckle trailed the statement, but his words also earned a direct glare from the plumber. Noting the chameleon's blank stare and the… mushroom guy's hard stare that were especially for him also, his weak chuckle faded quickly, before turning his gaze in the opposite direction.

The dinosaur's expression hardened as well, unsure whether or not the robot was trying to be funny. It was very likely that he didn't mean for it to sound like that, nonetheless, it wasn't the brightest statement either.

Finally, Silver picked his head back up. His tone, however, hinted sorrow and ire as he spoke. "In case you haven't noticed, he's not okay at all… He doesn't remember who any of us are, and there could be a chance that he won't."

"I think we're all aware of that…" the mushroom man sighed, his patience seemingly waning slowly. "But that doesn't mean it's entirely hopeless."

"H-hold on…" Yoshi spoke again. He slightly tremored as anxiety took over all of his other emotions. "You mean to say that I may _never_ get my memory back?"

"It's possible that could be the case…" the robot answered uneasily. "But we don't know that for sure. In most cases, amnesia only lasts temporarily."

"Or he could end up a broken wreck…" the albino mammal muttered.

Yoshi began to blink rapidly, feeling as if he couldn't get enough air. "B-b-_broken_?"

"That's enough!" the plumber snapped, the last of his patience slipped away with the artic breeze. "We don't know what's going to happen, and it's best that we don't start jumping to conclusions – especially for Yoshi's sake. Things are _not_ that grim, so stop acting like it is."

"Well, it's not looking so bright either." Silver retorted.

"You of all people should know better, Silver." Mario strictly stated. "You dare give up on a good friend, just like that?" Yoshi stared at the ground where his feet were, no longer sure what to think for himself.

Silver had no answer to Mario's question, as it seems. Their gazes were locked, but there was complete silence. The mushroom man was fixated on the hedgehog as well, as if he also expected an answer from him. The chameleon had his gaze on the ground, and the robot appeared to be staring into space – both as if they were occupied with their own thoughts.

Just by studying the plumber's gaze, Yoshi knew Mario already figured out Silver's answer, those golden orbs have made it apparent.

And he could have sworn that they lit up with some kind of newfound spark.

…

"So, what did you mean back there? Did you really mean what you said? Am I really gonna become… _broken_?"

The trip back to the hotel room was a silent one. But by the time they entered their suite, Yoshi began bombarding the hedgehog with a million questions. He was confused, and maybe hysteric. Silver seemed to have noticed, as a deep frown formed upon his muzzle.

"No, no… Of course I didn't mean that, at all. I just…" he sighed. "I wasn't thinking, and my emotions got the better of me."

"So you really _do_ think that, and that's why you were gonna give up on helping me?" Now he was hysteric, and perhaps, a little angry. "I thought you were supposed to be my friend!"

"I am!" he shouted. "I would _never_ do that to you, regardless of what I think."

"And how would I know that? Don't forget, I don't know who _any_ of you are. How would I know to trust what you say?"

"Yet, that didn't stop you with Wario and Waluigi."

That was a blow to the gut, and the final straw. With a sharp exhale through the nose, Yoshi steely replied, "That was a mistake, just like you."

The hedgehog acted as if he was frozen in place, apparently taken aback. It was a rather ironic response, considering how he went _there_ first. When he did finally speak, however, his voice was barely audible. "Y-Yoshi…"

"And if that's true, then maybe it _is_ your fault I have amnesia – which makes it _my_ fault for trusting _you_." Whether or not Silver had anything to say to that – which, he didn't – Yoshi continued. "You could have been lying to me this entire time. So, apparently, I never learn, right?"

"I didn't mean…"

The dinosaur cut him off, his tone becoming cynical. "I mean, a _real_ friend would never do something like that, right?" Here, it was sharp. "_Real friends_ tell the truth… _right_?"

Seemed to have had enough, Silver fired back. "Don't you _dare_ call _me_ a bad friend."

"Oh, I wasn't." Yoshi said evenly. "I'm just saying that it's quite plausible you may not be a friend _at all_." The hedgehog's jaw dropped, however, the dinosaur didn't stop there. "Hell, _maybe_ you aren't even my roommate." An uncomfortable silence took place, Silver staring at Yoshi in puzzlement – who sheepishly came to realize something. "…That practically makes no sense, since you have the room key…"

Silver's expression never changed. "Practically?"

Perhaps, that was more or less a rhetorical question, not that it mattered to the dinosaur. Simply, he took the keycard out of Silver's possession and flung it across the room like a Frisbee. Before the hedgehog could protest, Yoshi opened the door to the hallway and shoved the albino out of the suite.

* * *

The door slammed in his face.

Frantically, he turned the door handle in hopes of being able to open the door. But it was fruitless, as he well knew.

He uttered a swear, what the hell just happened?

"There! _Now_ it makes sense!" he heard the dinosaur call from the other side.

"You mean, you kicked me out _just_ to make a point?"

"Would it make sense to kick you out for no reason?" Silver sighed, staring up at the door. Once again, the dinosaur spoke, his tone once again sharp. "Seriously, what do you _think_ I would kick you out for?"

The hedgehog pressed his back against the door, and took a deep breath. After recomposing himself, he calmly spoke. "Yoshi, please, you need to let me back into my suite."

"Why? You're definitely not my friend, you aren't even my roommate anymore."

"Yoshi, don't be ridiculous…"

"You mean, like, how you and the others were a while ago? More specifically, _you_? I don't think so…"

"Yoshi…"

"Mario seems like the only person around here who has his head on straight. _He's_ the only one I can trust so far."

Finally, Silver couldn't take it anymore. He huffed, stepping away from the door. "Okay, _fine_. Since Mario's the only one worthy of your trust, I'll just get him."

"_Good_. Thank you!" the Yoshi had called, as Silver marched down the hallway.

Thankfully, the elevator was found empty when it came. The silvery hedgehog pressed his head against the back wall as it closed. Once he thought it was safe, he turned around and released a hellish, frustrated scream.

…

He was glad that the elevator remained empty on the trip to the lobby. As tensed as he was, he stormed through the lobby to get to the front entrance. He figured that Mario was still out and about somewhere. He wasn't sure where he could be at this time, but he knew he wanted to leave the hotel for a little while, at least.

However, before he could reach the front door, he was called to a halt. Not by a fan, thankfully, as he just wasn't in the mood to greet one right now. But, he wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone period, except for the very man he's looking for.

It was a familiar voice that called on him, someone who was from his own team. He knew he couldn't go on as if he didn't hear them, as he already came to a stop. Instead, he still kept his back turned.

"Hey, Silver, do you have a minute?" the voice called again. It belonged to Amy, he knew, as he heard her footsteps running to catch up to him. He eased his body, taking a deep breath to hold back his foul mood for a moment, before turning around to meet face to face with the pink hedgehog.

He smiled, which was a rather weak one. "Hey Amy, what's up?"

She beamed, notably happy to have catch him. Although, she appeared to be excited about something else… "I came up with a brilliant way to cheer Yoshi up!" his smile almost instantly faltered. However, he still let her continued. "The girls and I have everything in motion, and we just need someone to keep him distracted."

"For what?" he asked curiously.

Before giving him a direct answer, she looked around room, as if checking to see if anyone was listening. Once she felt it was safe, she leaned in and whispered, "We're throwing a surprise party for him." she uttered it quickly, but Silver understood clearly. "But just like everyone else, you _have_ to keep it a secret from him." she said sternly.

It was very sweet that the girls wanted to throw a party for Yoshi. Even though he was currently angry with the dinosaur, he was rather glad that Amy wanted him to be in on it as well.

It would also show him that Mario isn't the only one he could trust…

A small smile appeared on his muzzle. "Gotchya. So, what do you need me to do?"

"Just keep him away from the hotel for a while." she stated. "I already know about him not being allowed to play sports. But I talked to Mario, and Toad, and Omochao… and even Sonic; they all agreed that it'll be fine for just this one time."

"Do our companies agree as well?"

She made an uneasy expression, before sheepishly admitting, "Ah… Let's just call it our dirty little secret." After a moment or so, the pair each shared a smirk, before giggling like a pair of mischievous children.

Amiably, the silver hedgehog was feeling better already.

* * *

Yoshi waited patiently for the hedgehog's return.

As he waited, he fumed. He was already aware of how bad the hedgehog felt about his current condition, and how much he blamed himself. In fact, his pessimism was too convincing, so convincing that he even threw up a mistake of his own – that caused all hell for everyone, including himself – directly in his face. And it was all from a statement _he_ originally made that the dinosaur called him out on. Such audacity was what had him sent out the door…

However, everything he said to the hedgehog himself he didn't mean. He placed no blame him for his amnesia whatsoever – that was only said to get a point across. Everything he said to him was for that purpose. However, he truly was beginning to have his doubts about him. He keeps blaming himself for his amnesia, and without good reason – if there's any to begin with.

It just doesn't sit right with him.

Finally, he heard a knock on the door. Yoshi rose from the couch he sat on and began approaching the door, thinking that it might be said hedgehog with the nice man he asked for.

He heard his voice form the other side of the door. "Yoshi? Are you still there?"

_Where else would I be? It's not like I can go or do anything by myself…_ he bitterly retorted, which he only kept to himself. Instead, he inhaled deeply, before replying in a sharp tone, "Where's Mario?"

"Not here, it's just me."

_Figures…_ "I thought I asked you to bring him here." he sniped.

"I know, and, I'm really sorry, for everything. I wasn't a good friend at all, I acted like a complete jerk. And, honestly, I really don't blame you if you're still mad at me." Yoshi knew well that he couldn't be too upset with him over that comment about the mischievous pair. He was right about that after all, whether or not he knew better.

However, Yoshi simply said to him with an even tone, "You're forgiven."

After a minute of silence had passed, Silver then asked, "So, do you want to go out for a little bit?"

"Um, I don't think so. I can't play sports, and there doesn't seem to be anything else to do around here."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that…"

The dinosaur paused. "But… didn't you hear what Mario said?"

"_Actually_, he says it's okay… Just for this one time, though."

"So, I _can_ play sports?"

"Just this once." however, the hedgehog quickly added "But I really do need my keycard back if we're gonna be heading out."

"Not so fast…" the dinosaur said slowly. "We need to talk first."

"I'm listening," Silver replied.

"No, I think we should do it in here, face to face." Without even waiting for a response from the hedgehog, he opened the door.

Once he opened the door, the hedgehog fell flat on his face, hanging halfway in the room. Yoshi assumed he was leaning against the door, while sitting on the floor – as he was already at the floor.

Silver hastened to stand back up. Once he was back on his feet, he casually spoke. "So, what's up?"

Yoshi kept his gaze locked with the hedgehog's, his tone equally grave as his mien. "Do you really blame yourself for my injury?" His question, however, only received a blank stare. It made the dinosaur wonder if he even heard him. Surely, he said it loud enough that he should have been able to hear him – it _is_ only the two of them in the room.

He was going to repeat himself very slowly to make himself sound clear, that is, before the hedgehog finally responded, a deep frown seizing his tan muzzle. "How can I not, when that's all I think about?"

The dinosaur took a deep breath, exhaling through his nose. Steadily, he continued. "Why do you blame yourself, then?" he kept his eyes solely on his, in hopes to find some answer within. The only thing they showed was his sorrow and guilt, both that were already very apparent. When nothing came up, of course, he tried again. "What happened that's making you think you're the one responsible for this?"

After a moment or two of silence, Silver began to explain everything that happened on that very day. As Yoshi listened intently to his story – from everything that was said and done from atop the hill – he started to wonder; was that the kind of person he previously was? Was he always so reckless?

Once he got to the part where the both of them went down the slope, it became pretty self-explanatory as to what happened after. Still, he continued, and Yoshi simply sat there and listened.

"It was so difficult to see, and I actually became scared when I couldn't find you." Silver finally said. "And when I did…" he paused, taking a deep breath to recompose himself. "When I finally did, I didn't even know what to think. You weren't moving, at all, and I'd hated to think that something happened to you. I _almost_ lost it, until I saw you breathing again."

A mortified expression seized the dinosaur. Nonetheless, Silver continued. "I called for help, and – thankfully – they came as quickly as they did." his voice had begun cracking again. "If only I had stopped you from going down the mountain…"

"Let me stop you right there…" interrupted the dinosaur. "It's _my_ fault I have amnesia. I was the idiot, not you. You tried to warn me, and I didn't listen. I was lucky that nothing else happened to me, but it's not like I don't deserve having some kind of injury – serious or not."

"Don't say that." he snapped, his tone quivering even more. "That's not true, and you know it."

"No, Silver, I think we both know it. And putting you, Mario, and everyone else through that kind of pain; I'm a very horrible person, and nothing like a friend at all."

"Y-Yoshi…"

"I deserve the repercussions for acting like a moron, and a jerky one at that. Mine is the amnesia – and it's a very fitting consequence for my actions." he felt a deep sorrow that struck within him. He must of made it very apparent, as Silver's golden eyes became glazed with some kind of liquid, just like before. The liquid began streaming down his muzzle, a sight Yoshi was sorry to see.

Finally, he uttered softly, "I'm really sorry, Silver."

The hedgehog finally broke down. He buried his face in his hands and began releasing soft sobs. Already stricken with grief himself, Yoshi felt his eyes getting warm and hazy. His face felt tight, and his eyes stung… it was a similar feeling he had the night before. But then, it felt different, as it was provoked with hysteria. This time, it was pure sadness.

His feelings were true: he didn't deserve to have such amazing people for his friends. But if he help caused this kind of pain, he should atone for his actions and show his friends that he really has changed, for the better.

Getting up from his seat, he walked over to where Silver sat and pulled him into a tight and caring embrace. He closed his eyes, and allowed the warm liquid to run freely down his cheeks.


End file.
